What I'm Watching

This is a monthly digest capturing all the movies and TV I’ve watched in the last month, as well as the music I am listening to.

Movies I’m Watching:

• 65 Revisited (2007): Outtakes from Don’t Look Back assembled as a new film for some reason I can’t figure out.

• Al Purdy Was Here (2015): Does it make me a bad Canadian that I didn’t know who Al Purdy was?

• Colectiv (2019): I didn’t know this was a documentary. It is indeed a documentary, about a terrible tragedy I didn’t remember. But it’s really about corruption and it’s worth watching especially in light of how a certain political party in a certain country has started to say “Corruption is good, actually!” openly and people seem to not care enough about it.

• How to Steal a Million (1966): Jenn really enjoyed this romantic heist comedy. I didn’t as much.

• Prosecuting Evil (2018): A biography of one of the Nuremberg prosecutors. Feels like a lot of people could use to watch movies like this.

• She (1984): Supposedly an adaptation of a 1880s adventure novel, this is just some nonsense post apocalyptic fantasy film with sets and costumes seemingly just picked from what was at hand.

• Sholay (1975): A Bollywood epic film that is everything I dislike about Bollywood and which is interminable.

• Untold: Sign Stealer (2024): I didn’t know there was sign stealing in college football, because I didn’t know there weren’t headsets in college football and the plays were conveyed by hand signals. That tells you how much I watch college football.

• The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984): I’ve been waiting all my life to see a bad ‘80s fantasy version of Yojimbo, apparently. The moment I realized this is what this film was, I was just so excited.

TV I’m Watching:

• Baseball: I’m sad.

• Basketball: The Raptors are above .500 for the first time in nearly 3 years.

• Master of None (2015): I’m a few episodes into the first season. I am enjoying it.

• Physical Asia: The stupid editing of Physical 100 but with teams from 8 different countries instead of 100 contestants from Korea. Some familiar faces from Physical 100 and Final Draft. At least one of the challenges was not well thought out. But we’re now at a great individual/dual challenge that is among the hardest things I think I have ever seen.

• Slow Horses (2022): We finished season 5. I am happy to say the humour from the first season is back. We both feel like it has taken a back seat in the last few seasons.

• Taskmaster: Watching season 20.

What I’m Listening to:

• Bach: Goldberg Variations [harpsichord] (1741): I have listened to Gould’s idiosyncratic versions of these many, many times but, of course, they weren’t necessarily written for piano.

• Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López: On Tuesday, I went to see The Mars Volta for the second time in my life. Ahead of time, I decided to listen to much, but hardly all, of the music made by its two constant members before the show. For example, I did not bother with ORL’s solo career even though CBZ is on some of those records. You can find my reviews at the links.

  • At the Drive-In: I’d say they are the definitive post hardcore band of the ‘90s but that’s obviously Fugazi. So they’re the second most definitive post hardcore band of the ‘90s? (By the way, I have strong feelings about the distinction between post hardcore and emo. Ask me about that some time.) Reviews at the link.

  • De Facto: Somehow I didn’t know they had a dub band between ATDI and The Marvs Volta. Hopefully I will write some reviews.

  • The Mars Volta: My favourite prog rock band of the 21st century but also basically the only 21st century prog rock band I’ve ever given enough time to. I do not like where they’ve gone for their reunion, however. Reviews at the link.

  • Antemasque (2014): Most of the lineup for Mars Volta’s debut album reunites to make this anodyne, milquetoast alternative rock record that only occasionally approaches the intensity of ATDI and never ever approaches the ambition of TMV. If you really wished Cedric and Omar would make middle-of-the-road rock music, this is the album for you!

• Miles Davis: Nefertiti (1968): I feel like I have listened to most of Miles’ major ‘60s albums way back when I listened to a lot of jazz and, especially, a lot of his music. But, for some reason, I never got around to listening to this second great quintet album.

• Shane Ghostkeeper: Songs for My People (2023): Ghostkeeper, his namesake band, is apparently an interesting indie rock band. (I don’t know as I’ve never listened to them.) But this is mostly traditional country with just the tiniest touch of weirdness and indigenous influences and really too close to nostalgia for my liking.

• Ligeti: Chamber Concerto (1970): This is an exciting, interesting and provocative piece of music. I have no idea if what is supposed to be happening in it is what is indeed happening in terms of "micropolyphony." I do know that it, like the best avant garde music of the era, is both startling and thought-provoking while also containing passages (sometimes extremely brief) that are quite pretty or stirring. I know it's an important Ligeti piece but I haven't listened to enough of his music to know where it fits in his ouevre. It's also been long enough since I was really into '60s/'70s orchestral music that I don't have a good idea of how it fits into that context. But it is very much the kind of thing I like when it comes to the 20th century avant garde. You will not be bored.

• Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (1904): A song cycle.

• Nyssa: Shake Me Where I’m Foolish (2023): Kind of surprised she isn’t bigger.

• Respighi: Fontane di Roma (1919): For some reason, whenever I see the name “Resphighi” I imagine a Renaissance, Baroque or Classical composer and not a modern one. So I’m taken aback when I listen to his music.

• The Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi featuring Ksenija Sidorova: This is what I did during Game 7. Fortunately I made it back in time to watch the game on tape delay. Some Debussy, an accordion concerto (!!!), a few other pieces for accordion and orchestra, and Sibelius’ 5th symphony.